ROBERTO DELGADO

Roberto Delgado doesn’t know any other life than the winemaking one. He grew up on the vineyard owned by his Spanish-born parents and every year for as long as he can remember he helped his parents produce a few barrels of wine to drink with and give to family and friends. It was, he says, an easy decision for him to become a winemaker, which he did in 1993, developing a style that is “generous, approachable and consistent”.

Roberto joined De Bortoli Wines in 2005, making a variety of red and fortified wines but becoming a specialist in making Durif, a wine he says is “challenging, generous in flavour but soft” and works beautifully with food, particularly red meat.

A dedicated traveller Roberto has done vintage in the Hunter and Yarra Valleys in Australia and also at wineries in Spain and Italy. Mostly he takes his wife and three kids (he recently took the family to both Disneyland and Champagne – “it’s all about compromise!”) and he chooses wineries that follow the same philosophy that brought him to De Bortoli Wines – that good wine begins in the vineyard.

A tip from Roberto

"I am often asked: what is a good wine? Answer: The one you most enjoy!”

Did you know?

Roberto’s family migrated to Australia 50 years ago but still have a family gathering with wine and traditional Spanish food every weekend.